Cleaning up with smart technology

Thanks to Vodafone’s Internet of Things solution, SLS Connect now has all the information it needs to improve service and efficiency for its laundry clients

Clean laundry is essential for many businesses, from hotels, care homes and hospitals that need fresh sheets to dry cleaners that serve individuals, schools and sports teams.

It is common within today’s industry model for organisations to rent all the equipment they need, such as industrial washing machines and tumble dryers, from professional laundry services companies.

If a fault arises, an engineer will visit them to assess the problem. But that is changing. Vodafone’s Internet of Things technologies have enabled Solent Laundry Services (SLS) to offer greater service levels, delivered via Onecom (onecom.co.uk), Vodafone’s largest partner in its UK Partner Programme and winner of its Total Communications Partner of the Year Award since 2011.

Onecom helps UK businesses to design, deploy and operate internet of things communications. In partnership with Vodafone, Onecom has supported SLS in installing cleaning equipment that diagnoses problems before an engineer has to be called out, thereby increasing operational efficiency and revenue.

An Italian job

Formed in 2011, with clients as diverse as the Savoy Hotel and Tottenham Hotspur FC, SLS has a growing Connect division servicing a growing number of clients with a range of ‘intelligent’ washing machines and tumble dryers made by the Italian manufacturer Grandimpianti.

The decision to adopt Vodafone’s Internet of Things technology has, says SLS director Peter Hosking, enabled it to separate itself from the low-margin, sales-based approach favoured by some competitors.

“Rather than focusing on consumption and sales-based design like other manufacturers do, Grandimpianti deserves huge respect for designing an intelligent washing machine purely for service and product longevity,” he says.

In addition to using smart washing machines and tumble dryers, each of SLS’s clients has its premises fitted with a highly configurable router that has a special Vodafone SIM. This can be used for up to around 20 connected products.

“Vodafone provides an online portal so we can see uptime usage and statistics about every SIM in real time, enabling us to identify if there are any glitches or security breaches,” says Mr Hosking.

Huge efficiency savings

The internet of things enables businesses to connect assets in new ways, giving them real-time visibility to keep them ahead of their competitors and enhance customer services.

The new technology has made SLS much more efficient. Before its advent, one of the company’s 10 engineers would have to visit a client whenever a problem was reported. Now, intelligent machines allow the company to ‘minimise boots on the ground’.

Mr Hosking says: “It’s unbelievable how many times an engineer has gone to a site when we could have sorted out a problem remotely, if only we had the information.”

This information, or data, is becoming key to SLS’s business as it expands its technology solution. “As we have proper information we can stop our engineers going straight to the client in around one in four cases,” he says. “In many cases we can solve the problem here in seconds.”

Using Vodafone’s Internet of Things technology, SLS can get data on each machine’s activity and consumption of water, and diagnose any faults or even potential faults.

For example, it can see if a machine is being maintained properly and send an alert to the client, rather than visiting the premises and charging a call-out fee for a simple fault.

For Mr Hosking, the internet of things presents a chance to improve customer service. SLS Connect is now working on an app that will let clients monitor equipment via a tablet or smartphone and receive alerts directly.

“Working strategically with Onecom, our adoption of Vodafone’s Internet of Things solution has transformed the way we approach our business,” he says. “It’s all about making us the best at servicing our customer at the point they need us most.”

To discover how the internet of things and smarter ways of working can keep your team ahead of the crowd, go to tgr.ph/vodafone

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